1959 McCormic Farmall Cub

[gjpgonzo]

Why such small amount of weight? Doesn't sound right. I bet some of the implements were that heavy..

[Waif]

Why such small amount of weight? Doesn't sound right. I bet some of the implements were that heavy..

Implements mounting location distribute weight and take advantage of casting design.
Too , as mentioned ,brakes are limited and additional weight will reduce braking ability.
My cub needs the tourqe tube replaced. Some one stressed it in a manner it was not designed for.
On a level surface the brakes stop the tractors own weight in a given distance with a given holding power.
Any added weight will reduce efficiency. 500 lbs is just shy of a third the tractors dry weight. Safety means riding another day , for both the operator and the tractor.
Friction brakes on a slope , overloaded means not being able to set them to unhook load without risk of tractor rolling downhill.
No place to be if unhooking a boat.
Any fuel problem ,like low fuel sloshing to low side of tank,or stalling could make a day go bad.

[LRiddle]

Backing a boat down a ramp with a cub sounds pretty nasty to me. I wouldn't do it. My freshly re-lined break bands barely stop the thung in reverse, let alone with weight, downhill. Recipe for disaster.

[Lt.Mike]

A quick check on YouTube will show a dozen 4,000lb pickups that slid down the ramp into the water. Do you think a 1,500 lb tractor will resist the weight of a boat and trailer any better or worse?

Somehow I think your gonna do it anyway so please wear a life jacket and kill the engine before it goes under so it doesn't hydrolock.
Mike

[Scrivet]

For the boat: I only have to pull it out of the water into onto land. Not much of a grade. Think that will be ok?

Mount a winch on the Cub and chain it to the nearest tree. Put a set of dolly wheels under the tongue of the trailer. Winch the boat out or in as necessary. Still get to use the Cub with no chance of baptizing it on the end of a boat trailer.

[Jim Becker]

. . . chain it to the nearest tree.

Just run the chain from the tree back to the winch mount. You don't want to pull the tractor apart.

[LRiddle]

Sounds like an awful lot of work just to involve a cub. I'd stick with a big truck.

[Lt.Mike]

Sounds like an awful lot of work just to involve a cub. I'd stick with a big truck.

This would be the obvious answer, but I'm guessing he thought it would be fun and pretty cool to do the task with the Cub. I totally agree on that "if" it could be done but all things considered it's an idea with a most certain bad outcome.
So...
Use the truck.
You'll have other safer and fun uses for the cub.
Mike

[clm2112]

I'll offer an opinion... I routinely move fairly heavy boats and trailers around with the Cub, the heaviest being 3675 lbs (I weighed it at a truck stop). On level ground, gravel surface it is no problem. Just stay in first gear and crawl along so it doesn't develop a ton of momentum. On a grade, up to about 5% it can handle it. Beyond that, traction becomes the issue. If your ramp area is grass, then you probably will start slipping the ag lug tires and turn the ramp into mud.

Of course, you want to make sure the boat is positioned properly on the trailer so that it has about 100 to 200 lbs of tongue weight. Have somebody ready to chock the trailer tires if it ends up being more than the Cub can handle. As the hull comes out of the water, the load on the Cub is going to increase. By the time the trailer tires are coming out of the water, you'll have the entire load on the Cub, so that will be where the any issues with traction will get ugly. At least it will not pull you and the Cub into the water, as soon as the hull gets into the water, the load on the Cub will drop off quickly.

And as an aside, people who use trucks to launch and recover are at a disadvantage over a tractor. Which is probably why there are so many videos online where the tow vehicle gets pulled down the ramp and out with the boat. First, they have less traction on the ramp. Second, they tend to forget that their vehicle will float to a certain extent. Yeah, a Ford F-150 will float if you get the back end of it in the water. That 18 gallon fuel tank under the bed starts out as ballast on the rear axle, but becomes buoyant when it is submerged in water... oops! Fuel floats

[Don McCombs]

If you have your heart set on towing the boat with the Cub, Curt has some good advice. One additional factor is that as the tongue weight increases, steering effectiveness decreases, especially going up hill. If your trailer/boat combination has the tongue weight set up for towing with a larger vehicle, it may not be easy to lower the tongue weight.

[clm2112]

Yeah, Don's point about tongue weight... most boat trailers are set up with tongue weights about 10% of the total weight of the boat and trailer. That is great for stability out on the highway and keeps the boat from porpoising while motoring down the road. But that much weight isn't needed if you are just moving it around your property, launching, and recovering.

If you can, put a scale under the tongue of the trailer, then adjust the axle and/or sampson post on the trailer to better balance the boat on the trailer. Another option is lengthening the tongue on the trailer. I have one that I modified using a Fulton folding tongue, which added a few feet to the overall length of the trailer, adding leverage. Also kept the wheels of the tow vehicle a little further away from the water line on the ramp.

Here, I dug around my PC and found a photo from years ago to help explain it... don't laugh at the 1990 Bonneville being used as a tow vehicle, it worked great in that role down in Florida (where most of the ramps were paved, and a front-wheel drive car worked far better than a rear wheel drive pickup). Regardless of what you are using, be it a Cub or a truck, the important thing is having traction and good balance on the load. Even the brakes are not a big issue... like the Cub owners manual warns: Keep it in Gear and keep the speeds low when pulling heavy loads.

[Eugene]

Even the brakes are not a big issue.

Big issue. In reverse, brakes on the Cub are slightly better then non existent.

Normally you back the boat and trailer down the ramp to the water.

[Jim Becker]

A car or truck is going to outweigh a Cub by at least 3 to 1, besides having decent hydraulic (and power) brakes on all 4 wheels. If you back a car or truck in far enough for buoyancy to make a noticeable difference, you are already in trouble. The tow vehicle shouldn't have to go that far into the water unless you are trying to float the Queen Mary or maybe a Liberty Ship.

[Lt.Mike]

I used to tow a boat that size with a car like that, it used to push me through stop streets on a wet road. That's why I bought a truck (4x4). Tows,launches and hauls out the weight of a Grady White Overnighter, 225 OB and a dual axle trailer without a hint of issue.
Oh and I never get my rear tires wet when launching or hauling.
Oh ya, I move and park that rig with the tractor and it is really helpful at that, but that's on level ground. I'd never entertain the idea on doing that on a grade.
Generally those that launch their vehicles with their boats have been pushing the limits. Been towing for just about 40 years and my risk taking decisions are behind me. Good advise has been given but we can't make you accept it.
Mike

[gjpgonzo]

I accept. I'm running out the door right now. Will reply with a proper ty for all of the replys tomorrow:)